INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Organizers in Indianapolis plan to run a clean, positive campaign to win a bid for the 2018 Super Bowl.
Instead of focusing on the game-day seating problems that plagued Dallas two years ago or the power outage in New Orleans that forced a 34-minute delay during Sunday's game, Indiana Sports Corp. president Allison Melangton wants to tout why Indy would be the ideal choice to host its second Super Bowl this decade.
"That's not been our style," Melangton said Tuesday on the anniversary of the New York Giants' Super Bowl win in Indy. "Typically, when we've been bidding on all our events, we've pointed out why they should come to Indy and not why they should not go somewhere else, and it's worked for us. So why change now?"
Indy has a long and successful track record of hosting some of America's biggest sporting events.
In addition to last year's Super Bowl, the city has played host to the NBA Finals and an NBA All-Star Game; two AFC Championship games; the NFL's annual scouting combine; the men's and women's Final Fours; Olympics trials in swimming, diving, track and field and other sports; the Big Ten's football championship game and men's and women's basketball tournaments; and national championships in track and field, men's and women's swimming and gymnastics among other sports. It annually hosts the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 and has also hosted Formula One and motorcycle races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Plus, the city has played host to world championships in basketball and swimming.
Mayor Greg Ballard announced in July the city hoped to turn the Super Bowl into at least a twice-in-a-lifetime event by bidding on the 2018 game.
Officials in New Orleans said over the weekend they also plan to bid on the 2018 game, hoping to use it as central part of the 300th anniversary of the city's founding.
New Orleans has hosted 10 Super Bowls, tied with Miami for the most ever.